The labor union at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac is studying the possibility of having a second vote on proposed contract concessions. Chief negotiator Dan Longsine tells the A-P he’s not sure a second vote can be called, since the company has refused to change anything in its original proposal. Last Sunday, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers rejected concessions Mercury said were needed to keep the current level of outboard motor production in Fond du Lac. Longsine said over 70-percent of those voting rejected the idea of paying less to new employees, and those returning from layoffs. But now, he says the company is willing to provide written clarifications on some of the contract wording. And Longsine says some members are having second thoughts about voting no – and many had simply expected a second vote to take place. Without the concessions, Mercury says it will move hundreds of factory jobs to a non-union plant in Oklahoma.
